Principals face threats of violence, high stress and workload but virus turmoil may restore public trust

Principals already close to burnout from huge workloads are being bullied far more than most adults at work – but the COVID-19 crisis may change that.

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Nearly a third of school principals face stress and burnout from their jobs, including high levels of threats and physical violence from parents and students, a national survey has found.
However, the extraordinary work of schools during the coronavirus pandemic has renewed respect for the teaching profession and could be a turning point, say the authors of the survey published on Monday.

“We know from anecdotal evidence that many parents, although impacted themselves, are deeply appreciative of this work by principals and educators,” Deakin University Professor Phil Riley said.

“We hope this points to a future in which there is greater awareness and acknowledgment of the many stresses and challenges that principals face on a regular basis as they lead their students and staff.”

The 2019 survey of 2385 principals nationwide, including about 170 in South Australia, is part of a longitudinal study running since 2011 by Deakin and the Australian Catholic University.

It found stark differences between principals and the general population including more than half the principals having been threatened with violence during the past year compared with 8 per cent of adults generally.

Principals also were subjected to high levels of bullying, quarrels and gossip.

Stress was caused by excessive workload, lack of time to teach and concerns about the mental health of their teachers and students.

SA-based vice-president of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association Peter Mader called for reforms, saying the heavy workload, high stress and complexity of the job was deterring high quality applicants for principal positions.

Principals needed greater autonomy at a micro level and more of a say at a public policy level, he said.

“Governments and education departments need to trust educators, not rule them,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic had taught governments the value of the professional judgment of medical practitioners. The pandemic should also prompt governments to back principals, Mr Mader said.

The long-running “Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey” is funded by the Australian Research Council and has heard from more than half of the nation’s principals.

As well as consistent findings of pressure on principals, the study identified problems of an ageing workforce with 70 per cent of school leaders over 50 and more than a quarter over 60.

“Countless studies show the transformative nature of education and school leadership,” Prof Riley said.

“If we, as a nation, are serious about the key role of education in the growth and development of Australia, we simply cannot ignore school leaders’ cries for help.”